I'll be glad to get this started and will be curious to see what other ideas people have.

First Course: Sauvignon Blanc probably goes best with the capers and string beans, which are the hardest to match in this dish.

Second Course: If you want a white with the pesto I'd go with an unoaked Chardonnay. If you'd prefer a red I think a simple Chianti will do fine with this.

Third Course: I hope it's not too obvious but Coq au vin just screams for Red Burgundy or possibly a California Pinot Noir.

Last Course: Lots of options here. A Moscato d'Asti would be a good choice, but if you don't want to go in that direction I think a sweet Riesling (Auslese or late harvest) would be great. Other choices that would work really well are Ice Wine, Sauternes, or any number of sparkling wines, especially demi sec or a sparkling Vouvray.

The lemon and vinegar will make this tricky. Sauvignon blanc is one good idea as it asserts its identity pretty well. I could also envision choosing a wine that has good acidity but does not try to compete against the rich fish and tangy capers... muscadet or vermentino.

> Linguine with pesto and chopped roasted tomatoes

A rich but vegetal white for this dish. Gruner veltliner, or maybe ribolla gialla.

> Coq au Vin

The wine it is cooked in, of course!

> Peach sorbeto ( Please no Muscat)

Brachetto d'acqui. It is gently sweet and gently fizzy... and red. Should look nice on the table next to the pale orange-yellow dessert.

The lemon and vinegar will make this tricky. Sauvignon blanc is one good idea as it asserts its identity pretty well. I could also envision choosing a wine that has good acidity but does not try to compete against the rich fish and tangy capers... muscadet or vermentino.

> Linguine with pesto and chopped roasted tomatoes

A rich but vegetal white for this dish. Gruner veltliner, or maybe ribolla gialla.

> Coq au Vin

The wine it is cooked in, of course!

> Peach sorbeto ( Please no Muscat)

Brachetto d'acqui. It is gently sweet and gently fizzy... and red. Should look nice on the table next to the pale orange-yellow dessert.

For the tuna: absolutely a Vermentino, and I know exactly which one. The 2011 Guado al Tasso Vermentino I had last weekend would kill with that dish. And btw, I never consider lemon or vinegar an issue in wine-matching as long as neither is heavy-handed. Gary knows how to cook; he won't overdo it.

A good gruner would be great with the linguine, you're right.

Re the peach sorbeto, why not a Vin Santo? I love a good brachetto, but to my tastes it's more red fruit-and-chocolate oriented.

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov